


even the leaves would fall for you, my dear

by icemakestars



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/F, First Dates, Jewish Character, Picnics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21953029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icemakestars/pseuds/icemakestars
Summary: Sting and Rogue are tired of the mutual pining between Yukino and Minerva, so resolve to do something about it.
Relationships: Mentioned Erza Scarlet/Mirajane Strauss, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Yukino Aguria/Minerva Orland
Kudos: 32
Collections: FTLGBTales Happy Holigays 2019!, Fairy Tail LGBTales





	even the leaves would fall for you, my dear

**Author's Note:**

> This is my part of the ftlgbtales gift exchange on tumblr this year <3
> 
> For the lovely Sol, my sweet little egg. May your day be full of magic and love <3

The plan was simple, or at least it should have been. Sting and Rogue were bringing the main food, music, and a blanket to keep them warm and dry; Yukino and Minerva were in charge of games, snacks, and wine. Compared to all of their adventures and near-death experiences, this was just a cozy picnic lunch in the woods. Nothing could possibly go wrong with that. Or that was what Yukino was hoping, at least. 

Of course, Sting and Rogue were dragon slayers, and they did not feel the cold like normal humans did. How they had convinced Yukino to this outdoor excursion in  _ autumn  _ was a mystery. She pulled her hat further down over her ears to keep them from the chill. All Yukino could hope was that Sting and Rogue would be there soon, but as the frustration on Minerva’s face grew it seemed altogether less likely by the second. Sting was not a punctual person by nature, but even for him this seemed extreme. 

Minerva had been staring at her communication lacrima for what felt like an exceptional amount of time, but now she gave a growl of annoyance, clicking off her lacrima and turning to face Yukino. 

“Sting finally got into contact. He said that him and Rogue will meet us there.” Minerva rolled her eyes. “He could have told us earlier.” She grumbled, but then shrugged.

Yukino knew that there was no point in getting angry, because Sting was just like this. But still, she wished that she could be as blase as the other woman; that being left alone with Minerva was nothing more than two guildmates meeting their friends. But of course that was not the case, and Sting  _ knew _ that. 

The worst part was, Yukino trusted Sting. Or at least she thought she did. Everything was falling into question now as she walked through the woods, Minerva by her side. It was silent between them, awkward and thick and Yukino hated it, hated how she did not know what to say to the other woman. There was much she wanted to say, of course; if Yukino could she would open her heart and tell Minerva. But she couldn’t, and it  _ hurt _ .

After being in Sabertooth for so long, Yukino had become accustomed to how Sting could be. He liked to play games, to trick and fool and meddle with the other members of the guild. None of it was meant in malice, she understood that much; Sting had a childish soul, but not a cruel one. He would never deliberately hurt a friend. That did not ease her anger with him, though, and with each step through the muddy woods her vexation grew. 

Still, the woods were beautiful. Everything had taken on a warm glow, with orange and yellow hues carpeting the floor and climbing up the trees. Minerva seemed in her element here, a goddess of the woods, and Yukino could hardly believe how breathtaking the other woman was. Her thoughts flitted between wanting to wring Sting’s neck and wanting to run her hands through Minerva’s hair.

By the time Minerva finally cleared her throat to speak, Yukino was hardly paying attention to her surroundings. 

“Are you doing anything special for Christmas this year?” She paused. “Do you even celebrate Christmas?” 

Yukino took a deep breath, focusing less on her pent up anger and more on the simple bliss of being with Minerva. 

“Me and my sister were raised Jewish, but I still celebrate Christmas with my friends.” 

Minerva raised one eyebrow. 

“I never knew that. Are you doing anything for Hanukkah?” 

“Maybe.” When Yukino saw the affection and interest in Minerva’s eyes her smile, was accompanied with a flush of her cheeks. “This is my first Hanukkah with Sorano since we were children. I think we’re going to light the menorah - the candles - together, and probably do some baking and exchange gifts.” 

It was an exciting prospect, one that Yukino had gotten lost in; her anxiety fell away as she spoke of time spent with family, and Yukino only noticed when Minerva’s steps stuttered to a halt. 

“Sounds like fun.” 

Minerva looked as though there was something more she wanted to say, and Yukino yearned to know, yearned to experience everything about and with Minerva. But the black-haired woman shifted her gaze, features drawn up in confusion, and Yukino swivelled on her heels to see what was behind her. 

The woods opened up into a small clearing, with gnawed branches intertwining and curling around the edges, forming a circle. It was beautiful, and not something which Yukino had expected. In the centre, a picnic was spread on the floor, a closed basket lined with blankets and pillows. A music lacrima was paused and ready, and a small slip of paper was tucked underneath.

Minerva marched forward, passing Yukino, and grabbed the note, knocking the lacrima onto its side. 

“Those bastards.” She hissed and curiously Yukino slid the paper from Minerva’s grip.

_ This is our treat. Thank us later. Enjoy, and be good ;) - S + R _

It was deliberate; there was no other explanation. They had to be mocking Yukino, and she felt that anger bubble up again. 

“If this is a joke, it isn’t fucking funny.” Minerva shouted into the blank abyss of the woods, and found no reply. 

That hurt more than Yukino could ever admit. It was clear that Minerva did not want to spend time alone with her. Yukino could understand that feeling if Minerva knew how much Yukino truly loved the other woman, but to think that way when she thought that Yukino saw her only as a friend? The anger turned to despair, and Yukino fought hard to hold the tears at bay. Being rejected would be one thing, but this? Yukino could see no way for her heart to recover.

“Is being alone with me really so bad?” 

It was supposed to be a joke to deflect from the pain, but even Yukino heard the wounded, watery quality of her voice. She winced with it, with how pathetic she sounded. 

Minerva seemed genuinely panicked at this, eyes wind and hair whipped into a wind-fuelled frenzy. She grabbed Yukino’s hands in her own,

“That is not the problem at all, Yukino.” The way she said Yukino’s Name made her shudder, it was so soft and earnest. The grey-haired woman did not think she would tire of it. “I love every second which I get to spend with you.” 

Maybe that hurt more, the thought that Yukino was taking advantage of Minerva’s kindness. She did not know that Yukino had an ulterior motive, and maybe that made her a liar, or someone tarnishes her integrity, but Yukino would rather those things than be without Minerva. She hiccuped, nodding slowly. 

“Me too.” 

Her words were an admission of defeat, of holding the truth of the matter to the light and inspecting it. The wind rustled the trees, causing the music of nature to surround them, and Minerva searched Yukino’s face for something. She hesitated a moment, and then brought Yukino’s hands to her lips. 

“I maybe enjoy it a little too much.” Minerva punctuated her statement with a kiss to Yukino’s knuckles, and everything else fell away. 

Part of Yukino wondered if this was also part of the trick, if perhaps Minerva was in on it and they were all laughing at her, but the other woman seemed so open and vulnerable, eyes wide and expression open, waiting for Yukino to react. 

And she did. 

Yukino grabbed Minerva by the ruffles of her shirt and forced their mouths together. The first kiss was not as delicate as she would have liked, with teeth clashing and noses bumping, but it was still theirs, and that made Yukino love it all the same. 

Minerva’s hesitancy faded along with her shock, and she took Yukino into her arms gladly, as if it was everything that she had been waiting for. If she was anything like Yukino, that was likely to be the case, and the celestial made tried to focus that yearning and passion and need into her kiss. 

For all of her aggression, Minerva was a soft person at heart. The contrast was what made her so appealing to Yukino, and the feel of Minerva’s skin, velvety but blemished with war, caused feelings to stir within Yukino which she did not even know that she was capable of. She held Minerva closer, firmer, desperate to show the woman just how much she cared; how much she wanted this. And then Minerva gasped slightly, reciprocating the longing with her own crushing grip. 

They stood there for an indeterminable amount of time, until Minerva’s lips felt like an extension of Yukino’s own body, breaking only for gasps of air. 

Eventually, Minerva’s smile became too large, and she rested her forehead against Yukino’s instead, savouring the moment for as long as time would allow. 

“Those sly bastards.” She laughed, and then Yukino realised that in many ways this  _ had _ been a set-up, only one intended to heal instead of hurt. 

“Did Sting-Sama know about how you felt?” 

Even saying it aloud made Yukino’s skin ignite. 

Minerva shook her head,

“Rogue did though.” 

Of course they both knew; they did everything together, kept no secrets. Yukino should have just told Rogue herself, she thought. 

Still, the gesture was kind, more than that even, and she appreciated it. 

“I’ll have to thank them later.” Yukino murmured, and Minerva hummed her agreement, taking Yukino’s hand in her own. 

“Me first.” 

* * *

The girls embraced once again, settling on the blanket which had been laid out for them. Sting looked away, giving them their moment, and turned to face Rogue. His partner was frowning, pulling his bottom lip between sharp teeth.

“Do you think they’ll be okay?” 

It was a fair question; both women had been through their share of adversity, but they had always triumphed, victorious and proud. Sting took Rogue’s hand, running his thumb over a faded scar which marred the pale skin.

“We were.”

Rogue flushed, nodding slowly.

“I guess so.” 

Their eyes met, and even after all of this time together their smiles were still shy. Weisslogia had once told Sting to be with someone who always made him feel like this, someone so perfect that the butterflies never flitted away. Rogue was that person to Sting, and he was all so grateful that he got to be with the other man. And now they had helped their friends to share in that happiness, too. 

He stretched out his limbs and leaned his head on Rogue’s shoulder.

“Besides,” Sting muttered, cautious of making too much noise as so to not disturb their guildmates. “We’ll be there for them.” 

For months now, Yukino had been telling Sting how deeply her feelings for the other woman ran. Rogue had been receiving the same from Minerva, and it was frustrating, watching them dance around one another. Gray and Natsu had complained about Mirajane and Erza doing the same before they finally got together, and Sting had to wonder what it was about lesbians which made communication so difficult. 

He sighed, but it was fond. Doing this for the people that they cared about meant a lot to him and Rogue; valuing bonds was not something which Sabertooth had ever been especially encouraged to do, so now they were making the most of this new found freedom and friendship. 

Sting believed in them, knew that all they needed was a small push. Now, Minerva sat with her hand casually resting on Yukino’s leg, and the grey-haired girl had her arm around Minerva’s waist. They would be okay. 

“Come on.” He tugged on Rogue’s sleeve, and the other man nodded. They moved as silently as possible, heading back to the guild with the knowledge that their friends were happy thanks to them. It was a nice feeling, one which Sting knew that he would not tire of. 

Rogue linked their fingers together and squeezed, and Sting was once again grateful for his friends, and for his lover, and for the life he got to lead where he was completely and indescribably happy. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
